Lucid Dreamer: Dream Hunt

Chapter 10: Piercing Strike

His consciousness sank, and the familiar feeling of weightlessness returned.

Opening his "eyes" again, he was back in his familiar Baihe Road subway station. But this time, the moment his body solidified, a pure white door soundlessly opened right beside him. Beyond the door was no longer the subway, but a vast, majestic, white, softly glowing colonnade of a gigantic hall—the Hall of Solemn White.

Because his physical body was in the Association headquarters in the real world, the connection to the Hall of Solemn White felt unusually smooth and stable.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside. The interior of the hall was unimaginably vast, with a soft light falling from an unknown source. Many figures in white uniforms moved, talked, or engaged in some kind of training. The air was thick with a solemn and tense atmosphere.

Hicreed soon appeared beside him, still looking a bit rough around the edges, but with notably sharper eyes. "Follow me," he said concisely, leading Lu Ziyan through the main hall to an area that looked like a shooting range. A number of Rectifiers were practicing here: some were conjuring and swinging cold weapons out of thin air, while others, standing further away, were firing energy beams of various colors from long, inscribed metal tubes that looked like clotheslines.

"You know what Volition is, right?" Hicreed asked him.

"I do," Lu Ziyan replied. "The power in the Dreamworld depends on mental and willpower, which can convert into each other, and together are called 'Volition'".

"Good, knowing is half the battle. The Association's combat personnel are roughly divided into four types," Hicreed explained quickly. "Vanguards charge at the front, closest to the enemy. Most are lacking in Volition but rely on skill, using mostly cold weapons, because Volition decays faster the farther it is projected from the user. Your teacher, me, is a Low Emptiness Vanguard, the elite of the cannon fodder, you could say—Low Emptiness is the peak for Vanguards with insufficient Volition. Of course, there are Vanguards with extremely strong Volition; imagine extreme Volition paired with superb skill—their strength is invariably Mid Emptiness and above. More than half of the current twelve Sequence Rectifiers are Peak Emptiness Vanguards."

He pointed to the people holding the long metal tubes. "Those are Midline Combatants. They have more abundant Volition than us regular Vanguards and can use those things at medium range. We call it a 'Wand'—it's essentially a Volition Conduit—to condense and fire Volition to damage the enemy. They can also fight in close combat by attaching a bayonet or blade if necessary. Eight out of ten of those bastards look down on Vanguards with poor Volition, so don't bother being nice to them."

"Then there are the Supports, who handle healing—they're rare treasures. Finally, the Snipers," Hicreed paused, his voice tinged with obvious envy and resentment. "They're a bunch of talent freaks with terrifying amounts of Volition! They can take people out from ultra-long distances! The weakest full-time Snipers are Mid Step level! Only two Snipers are Sequence Rectifiers! Damn it, they're the top of the food chain!".

Lu Ziyan listened silently, feeling that his own level, which probably didn't even qualify as a 'Step', was likely the very bottom of the bottom tier among Vanguards.

"Watch this!" Hicreed finished and wasted no more words, directly waving his hand. On the empty ground ahead, Dreamworld substance rapidly condensed, forming an Asura wielding two blades, with a hideous face and radiating a malevolent aura! Its form and oppressive feeling were far weaker than the Flesh Asura Lu Ziyan had encountered before, but it still made his heart pound.

"This is an imitation of a twin-blade Asura I killed a while back; its strength is less than half of the real thing," Hicreed said, patting Lu Ziyan's back. "Go on, trade some blows with it. Fight however you want, let me see what you're made of—or rather, how utterly pathetic you are".

The fake Asura let out a low growl and fiercely lunged forward! The blades flashed with sharp light!

Lu Ziyan was terrified, and his survival instinct instantly erupted! His mind was blank, and he concentrated all his intent almost subconsciously—"I need a weapon! Something long! Something that can block it!".

A crude-looking spear, not very solid, instantly condensed in his hands!

He fumbled to raise the spear to block. With a few crisp clangs, his hand went numb, and he was forced to retreat repeatedly, nearly dropping the spear. The fake Asura's attack was swift and fierce. After a few moves, it found a weak spot, parried the spear with one blade, and brought the other straight down toward Lu Ziyan's face!

"Stop," Hicreed waved his hand. The fake Asura instantly froze, then dissipated into nothingness.

Lu Ziyan gasped for air, his back drenched in cold sweat.

"A spear... hey, kid..." Hicreed walked up to him, a look of surprise on his face. "You chose this? Just like me. But," he changed his tone, striking him down without mercy, "it's too weak! Your Volition is pitifully sparse, what you constructed shatters with a touch, and your stance is a mess! At your level, even against a Step-level Asura, you wouldn't last three seconds!".

Lu Ziyan's face turned pale, recalling the chilling Eye Asura.

Hicreed sighed, his tone softening slightly. "But it doesn't matter! I've seen plenty of rookies like you! If Volition is lacking, compensate with technique! This is the only way for Vanguards like us!". He waved his hand again, and a thick metal target appeared in front of them.

"Use your spear, try to cause some damage to it! Stab, smash, pry, whatever you want!".

Lu Ziyan gritted his teeth, gripped the spear with both hands, and thrust with all his might toward the target!

"Clang!" With a crisp sound, the spearhead only left a white dot on the target, vibrating so hard his arm went numb.

Hicreed shook his head and stepped forward. "Watch closely! Vanguard combat is about condensing limited Volition onto a surface, a line, or even a point, and releasing it. And this move of mine is a unique technique that compresses and concentrates Volition to its extreme for an explosive, single-point release!". A more ancient-looking, more solid spear condensed in his hand. His body crouched slightly, his gaze locked on the bullseye.

"This move is called—'Piercing Strike'!".

Before the words fully left his mouth, his figure rushed forward. The spear in his hand was like a poisonous dragon emerging from its lair, its tip condensing a chilling, heart-stopping gleam of light!

"Boom!!".

That thick metal target was actually pierced straight through by this single strike! Cracks instantly spread from the hole across the entire face of the target. With a crashing sound, it utterly shattered into countless fragments that scattered on the ground and slowly dissipated.

Lu Ziyan watched, stunned.

"Try to emulate my way of exerting force! Concentrate your intent! Think of all your Volition, channeling it all into that single point on the spear tip!" Hicreed yelled.

Lu Ziyan focused, holding his breath, trying hard to recall Hicreed's movements and that fearless, all-out momentum. He mobilized the pitifully weak Volition within him, pouring it all into the spear in his hand. The spear tip began to glow with a faint, dim light.

"Hah!" He shouted and thrust with all his might!

"Pfft!".

A faint, but clearly audible sound came! The tip of the spear actually succeeded in penetrating the new metal target! Although it only sank in less than an inch, it had undeniably caused damage!

"Oh?!" Hicreed's eyes lit up, showing genuine surprise and delight for the first time. "Not bad, kid! Your Volition is utterly lacking, but this intensity and grasp of spear-sense... that's something! Looks like I didn't waste my five hundred bucks... cough cough, looks like I didn't waste my time taking you on as a student. Giving you a Low Step rating is no problem!".

Just as Lu Ziyan felt a slight lift from this small progress, a sudden change occurred!

An extremely concentrated Volition beam, radiating a dangerous red light, unexpectedly streaked through the air from a distant side! The speed was astonishing!

It accurately grazed Lu Ziyan's target, without harming it in the slightest, but instantly obliterated another, even farther-off spare target into powder! The blast's shockwave nearly knocked Lu Ziyan off his feet.

Hicreed's face darkened. He whipped his head toward the source of the Volition beam and roared, "Heartbolt! What the hell is wrong with you! Testing your sniper rifle in my teaching area?! What if you had scared my student!".

Far in the distance, on a high platform, the figure of the Eleventh Rectifier, Heartbolt, shimmered. Beside him stood Qing Wen, holding an exaggerated Wand that looked like a high-tech sniper rifle!

Qing Wen's face still held excitement and a slight confusion, clearly having fired that shot, but the direction and power had been controlled by his mentor, Heartbolt.

Heartbolt's cold voice drifted over from afar, carrying undisguised arrogance. "Just testing the sync rate of a new toy. What, Hicreed, you teach your cannon fodder, I train my Sniper—am I bothering you? Got a problem?".

It seemed the two of them knew each other.

"Damn it!" Hicreed cursed, exasperated, but facing a Sequence Rectifier, he could only swallow his anger. Snipers, especially Peak Emptiness ones, certainly had the capital to stand at the top of the food chain and look down on them.

Lu Ziyan looked at the "Sniper Wand" in Qing Wen's hand, which radiated powerful energy fluctuations, and then compared it to the pitiful spear in his own hand. His emotions were complex and difficult to express. It felt like others were already driving a "Sword in the Lake", while he was still pedaling a nearly broken-down bicycle.

Just then, a voice came from behind him.

"Hicreed.".

Lu Ziyan turned to see a man the same age as Hicreed walking towards them, followed by a cute girl also in a white uniform. The man's gaze paused briefly on Lu Ziyan before settling on Hicreed. He quickened his pace slightly, his face showing obvious fatigue and a hint of heaviness.

Hicreed didn't respond; he just pulled out a cigarette. Nicotine in the Dreamworld doesn't bring much pleasure; smoking was just his habitual action to cover his emotions. Lu Ziyan could see the muscles in his face tense almost imperceptibly for a moment.

The man walked closer, sighed, and said in a low voice, "I happened to see you. My condolences".

Hicreed silently clicked the lighter on, brought it to the cigarette tip, and took a deep drag. In the smoke, the faint spark in his eyes seemed to dim.

The man's voice carried heavy regret. "About Nail Snail... I am truly sorry. He was a qualified Rectifier, and a good member of our Executioner Unit. That mission was my poor command".

Executioner Unit? Is this man the leader, Blutree, of the Executioner Unit? Lu Ziyan wondered.

After a long moment, Hicreed forced a stiff smile, waved his hand, his voice a little hoarse. "Hey, why talk about that. Losing a battle in the Dreamworld is death; no one can help it. At least... Nail Snail, that kid, died honorably, he didn't embarrass me, he was a good man. Let's go send him off on Floor 14 later". His words sounded like he was comforting the man, and also like he was trying to convince himself. Behind the forced casualness was a pain he couldn't completely hide. That was a student he had once poured his heart into teaching.

The man nodded gravely, and an air of suffocating, brief silence filled the space between them.

Hicreed suddenly took another deep drag of his cigarette, as if trying to dispel something with the nicotine. Then he turned and pointed to Lu Ziyan with the hand holding the cigarette, saying to the man, "Well, as it happens, this new student of mine is under your command this time. His code name is Death Star".

"I know, I came to find him," the man's gaze shifted to Lu Ziyan. He extended his hand. "Hello, Death Star. I'm Blutree, the leader of the Executioner Unit, a Peak Step Vanguard."

"Hello, Leader," Lu Ziyan said. The atmosphere between the two men made him a little uncomfortable, and he shook the man's hand awkwardly.

Blutree then beckoned to the distance, and Qing Wen walked over.

Blutree said he wanted to have a quick meeting. The four of them sat down on the ground, with Hicreed standing silently on the side, smoking.

"Vanguard Death Star, Sniper Carsejaw, first, welcome to the Executioner Unit," he said, using their code names. Then he pointed to the girl next to him. "This is the Midline Combatant, Zijin. She just joined the Association last week, a little earlier than you. She is also your future colleague".

The girl named Zijin had shoulder-length short hair and large eyes. She looked very lively and waved. "Hello everyone! My name is Lu Yiyi—a Mid Step Midline Combatant, code name Zijin! We're comrades now, so just call me Yiyi!".

Blutree frowned and criticized, "Zijin, don't give away your real name so easily!".

Lu Yiyi pouted, unconcerned. "Oh, Leader, we're all going to be comrades fighting side-by-side. What's the point of hiding things! Of course, we should lay everything bare!".

Blutree shook his head helplessly and said no more, instead looking at Lu Ziyan, Qing Wen, and Lu Yiyi. His expression became serious.

"I won't waste time on pretty speeches; I'll just say what I have to say. The current Executioner Unit is a B-Class Rectifier Unit, far from a main force. Most of the time, we operate jointly with other B-Class units, or assist A-Class Rectifier Units, handling relatively less dangerous missions. But even so, I demand that you always put saving your own life first!" he paused, his gaze sweeping over their still-youthful faces, his voice exceptionally grave.

"Rank, strength, all of that is nothing! Whether you're Step-level or Emptiness-level, the most important thing is to survive!" His voice held a trace of unnoticeable pain. "I've watched the Executioner Unit members change batch after batch... I don't want to feel that heartache again. The Association's missions are important, but your lives are more important! Do you all understand?".

Lu Ziyan and the other two were affected by the seriousness in Leader Blutree's words, and they all nodded earnestly.

"Alright, here is my contact information," Blutree reported a string of numbers. "I'll create a group chat after we return to the Real World. Dismissed".

The short meeting ended, and Blutree turned to leave. Lu Yiyi cheerfully said goodbye to Lu Ziyan and Qing Wen and ran off. Heartbolt called Qing Wen back to continue training—apparently, he was extremely interested in this gifted young prospect. By the shooting range, only Lu Ziyan and his mentor Hicreed remained.

Hicreed sighed. "Disconnect from the Dreamworld. It's time to eat. After eating, I have to go to Floor 14. Want to come along?".

Lu Ziyan nodded vigorously.